After reading and loving Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and The Six, I was determined to read more of her work. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo did not disappoint, earning a 4.5-star rating from myself and confirming that Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to write incredible women.
The story is primarily told from the perspective of superstar Evelyn Hugo as she narrates her life story to the up-and-coming writer, Monique Grant. Starting from her climb to fame, through all seven of her marriages, and the difficult decisions she has made, leading to the incredibly misrepresented woman she is today. As Monique sets out to capture Evelyn's life, she has no idea how much her own is about to change. The two women have more in common than anyone expects and embark on an illuminating journey of truth, love, and growth, together.
From the beginning of the book, Evelyn is completely aware of her stunning physical appearance and the effect it has on other people. She is neither afraid or ashamed to use her body as a tool to get what she wants. I think this opens up an important discussion about how women's bodies are so frequently objectified, and Evelyn is the perfect example. The media is so focused on seeing Evelyn for what they want her to be, a beautiful and busty bombshell, that they cannot see the truth right before their eyes. She is consistently used for her appearance and overlooked for anything else. It is a truth that Evelyn uses to fuel her and spins to her advantage as much as she can, but not without frustration. It opens up for a glorious moment of irony later in the book which I cannot describe without giving too much away. You will all have to read it yourself to find out.
The media is virtually a character itself in this book. Interspersed between Evelyn and Monique's storylines are news clippings from events that took place in Evelyn's life. As the reader gets the truthful and complicated story from Evelyn herself, they also see how the same event was reported in the media. The more famous Evelyn got, the farther from the truth the reports became. There is a huge contrast between what we know to be fact, and the fiction the media was creating. It made me stop and consider how much of the media I consume every day is real, and how much is fabricated to sell or persuade me? I do not doubt the author has done this on purpose.
Lastly, I want to share one of my favourite quotes from the book:
"...no medium can capture what it is to be in someone's presence, certainly not someone like her. Someone who makes you feel important simply because she's choosing to look at you" p.226.
I cannot highly recommend this one enough. If you enjoy stories about Hollywood, with excellent female characters and packed with drama, you have found one. There is so much I would like to say but I don't want to spoil any of the fantastic surprises in store. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a breathtaking story and it deserves to be on your TBR pile.
Yours Literarily,
Lauren.
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